On the Outside
by Maria Octavia
Summary: A mysterious former kitty-pet now loner joins the rank of Starclan. "Indeed, it is impossible", says the ancient leaders of the four clans. Cats everywhere around the globe suddenly appear in Starclan's realm when they die. Food is already scarce in Starclan. How can they feed so many more mouths? Can the Dark Forest recruit more cats in the midst of turmoil? (set after Sunrise)


**This is the short story that I have written. In fact I got a first prize on this chapter in the Young Author's Contest at school level. I just decided to extend this short story into a (longer) story. I'm not good at explaining things (as you can tell). Novel writer that I am, I appreciate constructive criticism. Hope you like it!**

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**New Light**

Pouring buckets, Diamond hopped gently out of the door. She looked as though she was actually excited to be out in the dismal weather. The street was silent other than the raindrops splashing down on the cobblestone.

_That was easy_; Diamond thought it would be much more difficult to sneak out, but the miserable weather made is much, much simpler. As she urged her legs to speed up to head into the garbage can to find some food, she noticed the dark corners of this familiar street.

Lightning flared overhead and broke the poor light of dawn as thunder boomed just seconds later. Just when she managed to climb onto some decaying pizza boxes to reach the opening, a screeching of tires snapped her mind into reality. Diamond jumped onto the humongous rubbish can and ducked down to let the cap slip over her sleek head. Even inside the can, she felt the monster's headlights glare at her.

Carefully, she let the garbage can's cap slip smoothly slide off without making a large noise on the ground while the pale blush of the sky set in. When she was pawing through the trash, she finally scented the overwhelming odor of grease that was once hidden by the salty smell of rain.

In the corner of her eyes, she glimpsed two feline figures darting towards her. Creeping stealthily out of the garbage can, she hid herself behind a nearby wall.

"We can smell you your filthy skin", one hissed.

"Go away and don't come back! You don't belong here. This is our area", the other one growled.

"I only want something to eat", Diamond whispered.

"You've only left your cozy little house a few minutes ago, and now you are hungry", the first one said.

"We've been here for a long, long time, with little to spare", the second one added.

"But you certainly can spare something for me", Diamond pleaded

"We barley have enough ourselves", The first one replied angrily.

"You think living out on the streets is fun? Go back to your house while you can. No go run away and don't linger here anymore. Like I said, this is our place, not yours", the second one tagged on.

Without a word, Diamond started to creep out of the box and began running until she lost sight of them. _Where am I_, she wondered. The boxy buildings looked strange, unwelcoming, and uninhabitable. On the horizon was a tall, jagged mountain tipped with fluffy gray clouds. _I wonder if I could get up there_, she thought. Just below the edge of the mountain there were trees, as far as eye could see. Not a few, like the ones in front of her house, but hundreds, thousands, to the point where she knew no words for more. _I could live there and eat wild food, she thought determinedly_, and _I'll take care of myself_.

The heavy rain became a light drizzle as the day went on. When she walked, she felt fatigue pressing down on their shoulders when she walked. It really didn't look any closer when she looked at it again. _I'll jog, that'll make it faster_, she thought.

The sun reached the horizon just as she reached the foot of the forest, but the mountains still were on her horizon line. Exhausted and disheveled, she lain herself on the soft, damp grass. Her throat was parched from going the whole day without water. Standing up to look for a water source, she noticed how far she had gone. Her house was nowhere in sight, yet everything smelled familiar. _There's no going back_, she decided. Smelling salt on her nose, she followed the heavy scent and saw a wide stretch of water swallowing the sun. A small stream was flowing into the vast expanse of the water. That's when she realized she had been here before: they'd taken her here for a trip. She ran like a horse, galloping towards the part of the river that lay in the forest, fatigue washing over her body.

Dipping her head down for a long, cold drink, she was already surrounded by thick tall pines. Water calmed her inflaming throat.

She stared into the deep, clean, blue water and saw that she was dirty, messy, and damp. Long silvery white furs were disarranged. Emerald eyes didn't glitter and spark as they usually did when she gazed upon herself. Bits of fur were torn out from her skin when she ran through barbed wires. Leaves got tangled up in her fur. Dirt and stinky human things clung to her fur. She could scent that she smelled like dead animals for a few sunrises.

_This is not as easy as it once seemed_, she thought bitterly, _there is no turning back now_.

She had once thought sneaking away from her comfy home and loving owners to live a more exciting, adventurous, and free life in the wilderness, but she admitted to herself that she was wrong. Life out here was hard and dangerous; she wanted to go back.

It was just too late to go back.

_I guess some things are just too late. I wish I'd realized it back then. I'm starving_, she thought as she gazed into the mountains.

_Freedom hurts_, she thought bitterly as the hunger in her stomach scratched her.


End file.
